ELIZABETH A.

DAVIS
Associate Professor, Science Education, and Chair, Elementary Teacher Education

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION 610 E. University, Room 4107 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48109-1259 734 647-0594 FAX: 734 763-1368 betsyd@umich.edu

April 1, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: This is a reference letter in strong support of Michelle Landis. I have every confidence in her abilities as an elementary or middle school teacher. Michelle was a student in my Managing to Teach class in Winter 2012, and in my Elementary Science Methods course, during the Fall 2012 semester, both here at the University of Michigan School of Education. Through these and other experiences, I came to be impressed with Michelle's propensity to engage in teaching practice, think through important issues in teaching, and deport herself professionally. The level of intellectual engagement coupled with strong teaching practice makes Michelle a really special teacher. For the science methods course, Michelle taught two science lessons, and I observed both of these via her video recordings. For example, one lesson focused on heat transfer from a warmer object to a smaller object. Michelle taught this lesson as one of a set of lessons through which the fifth- graders rotated. I was impressed with many aspects of this lesson. First, Michelle's lesson plan clearly reflected the approaches to science teaching that we worked on in our science methods class. She took seriously the idea of using a science investigation as an opportunity to support students in engaging in meaingful sensemaking. This is important, because so much of science teaching ends up being activity-based without the sensemaking component. Second, Michelle's enactment demonstrated her real attention to the students and the science. She interacted well with the students, asking really thoughtful questions to help the children advance their thinking. Finally, Michelle's reflection on her teaching showed that she could identify the strengths of her teaching, but also identified areas where she wanted to continue to press on her own practice, to continue to grow as a teacher. Michelle also participated well as a student in both of the classes in which I taught her. She was engaged and interested in the class discussions, gave good feedback to her peers, and supported her groupmates by challenging their thinking in respectful ways. Her grade was one of the strongest in my science methods class (which had more variation in grades than did the shorter classroom management class, where Michelle's grade was also strong). Whenever I write a letter like this, I think about whether I would want the individual teaching my daughter (currently in fifth grade). The wonderful news for me is, my daughter does have the opportunity to learn from Ms. Landis! Michelle is a student teacher in a fifth-grade classroom in my daughter's school. The fifth-graders rotate for social studies and science. In the fall, my daughter experienced Michelle's lessons on heat transfer and energy conversion, and came home and told me all about them over the dinner table. I also served as a parent chaperone on a field trip, and got to see Michelle interacting with her students and the other fifth-graders. I feel very fortunate that my daughter has these experiences with her. Michelle is already a great teacherknowledgeable, effective, caring, and reflectiveand will only get better as she gains experience.

In sum, Michelle Landis will be a great teacher. Her enthusiasm for teaching, growing understanding of the issues surrounding this difficult job, and positive attitude will help her be an effective teacher. She will make a great contribution to her school, through her dedication, insight, and collegiality. I wholeheartedly recommend her to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me for more informationbetsyd@umich.edu or (734) 717-8292. Sincerely,

Dr. Elizabeth A. Davis Associate Professor, Science Education Chair, Elementary Teacher Education